Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
Affinity vs Canva vs Namelix
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Designers, photographers and confident DIYers who want professional design software without an Adobe subscription.
Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.
Pick it if: Founders and small business owners brainstorming a business, product or brand name.
Overview
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | Namelix |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free pro design app for photo editing, illustration and layout, with optional Canva AI. | Make social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you. | Free AI business name generator that suggests short, brandable names with a domain check. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | Your Canva subscription | $144/yr for one person | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | Namelix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4 | 4.5Winner | 4.4 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | Namelix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | – |
| Browser extension | No | No | – |
| API access | No | Yes | No |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | No | Yes | – |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | – |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | – |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | – |
| Understands images | – | Yes | – |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | Yes | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | – |
| Learns your brand or style | No | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | – |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 13/ 17 | 1/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | Namelix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Individuals, for personal or business use. | Free Free Occasional posts and trying it out. | FreeOur pick Free Anyone brainstorming a name. |
With Canva Pro Your Canva subscription People who already pay for Canva. | ProOur pick $144/yr for one person Anyone making marketing material every week. | ||
Canva Enterprise Custom Organisations rolling it out to a team. | Business $250/yr per person Teams who need shared brands and approvals. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations with security requirements. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Download it free. Only connect a paid Canva plan if you want the AI tools inside Affinity, or if you already pay for Canva anyway. | Use Free until you find yourself fighting it, usually over the brand kit or background removal. Pro pays for itself the first time you skip a stock photo subscription. Business only makes sense once two or more people are working in the same brand. | There's nothing to buy for the names themselves. If you want a logo for the name you pick, Brandmark sells one-off logo packages from $35, but you can take the name anywhere. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | Namelix |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | Namelix |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Affinity, Canva or Namelix?
Canva scores highest overall in our ratings (Affinity 4.4/5, Canva 4.5/5 and Namelix 4.4/5). Affinity is best for Replacing Adobe apps without the subscription and logos and vector illustrations. Canva is best for social media posts and stories and quick decks and one-pagers. Namelix is best for brainstorming a business name and product and app names.
Which is cheaper, Affinity, Canva or Namelix?
Affinity: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Your Canva subscription. Canva: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $144/yr for one person. Namelix: It's free to use.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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